New Majority group also says embattled mayor must go

SACRAMENTO  The Democratic leaders of both houses of the Legislature are urging San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, also a Democrat, to resign.

“I, for the life of me, can’t figure out why the mayor has not stepped down,” said Assembly Speaker John Pérez of Los Angeles.

Senate President Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento also said the mayor should step down.

"Bob Filner the citizen deserves due process, but Bob Filner the Mayor can no longer effectively govern the great city of San Diego," Steinberg said. "For the sake of everyone who lives, works and goes to school there, he should resign and begin the process of moving past this painful chapter."

An influential local Democrat also added her voice to the chorus Monday. Former San Diego councilwoman and former state Sen. Christine Kehoe told UT-San Diego, “At this point it’s time for Bob to step down.”

Kehoe, of San Diego, declined to elaborate.

Meanwhile, a leading group of moderate San Diego Republicans issued a similar plea, saying the scandal has brought the city to a standstill. The New Majority Political Action Committee went further than Pérez, urging that Filner be recalled.

“This is not a partisan political issue, rather a moral one,” Kelly Burt, its chairman, said in a statement. “We can no longer sit idly by as the gears of city government grind to a halt because of the alleged conduct of its current mayor. The time has come to install new leadership with a new mayor who can restore the trust and integrity of city government of the eighth largest city in the nation.”

Filner was scheduled on Monday to check into an undisclosed clinic for two weeks of intense behavioral therapy for his self-admitted problems regarding inappropriate treatment of women.

“I need help,” Filner has said, along with issuing public apologies. So far he has refused to step aside, even as more women come forward with allegations.

Pérez did not specifically say he would support a recall against Filner, a Democrat and longtime member of Congress.

“The best way for this to be resolved is for the mayor to resign,” Pérez said, citing the potential for a bitter ouster campaign. “A recall is really the worst possible option in terms of the interests of the people of San Diego.”

Pérez had worked closely with then-Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, who ran for mayor last year and is now working for Qualcomm. Pérez declined to endorse Fletcher, saying his candidacy is “hypothetical.” Fletcher has not yet said he would seek election.

“That’s a decision for the people of San Diego, and I live in Los Angeles,” Pérez added.

Pérez said Filner has the right to due process. However, Filner’s “job is to run the city. It is clear that he is now incapacitated.”

Pérez added, “I haven’t heard a single professional in this area who believes that two weeks is enough time to get resolution to what seems to be an ongoing problem.”

Pérez also said he supports the City Council’s decision to oppose paying for Filner’s legal bills, expressing disbelief that the mayor was claiming part of the blame should be placed on the city because he did not receive sexual harassment training.

“It was he who did not take that class. The mandate was there. He failed to comply with that mandate up to this point. That is no excuse for the underlying accusation,” Pérez said.